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Iron worker foreman dies after falling from a catwalk in California.

A 63 year-old white, male iron worker foreman (victim) died after falling 43 feet from a catwalk to the concrete floor of a military aircraft hangar while moving some welding cables. The victim was lowering the welding cables to the floor by draping them over the edge of the catwalk. The victim was not wearing any fall protection equipment and was not tied off to the existing catenary line (lifeline). He had climbed under the catenary line to gain access to the edge of the catwalk. His co-worker noticed the victim leaning out too far and attempted to grab him before he fell, but could not reach him. No hazard assessment of the job was performed nor was the victim given any fall prevention training by the company, a sub-contractor. The general contractor did not review the sub-contractor's safety procedures prior to allowing them to begin work. The CA/FACE investigator concluded that, in order to prevent similar future occurrences, employers should: 1. Assure employees have and use proper fall protection equipment with which to tie off when working at heights requiring fall protection. 2. Provide safe access to heights by use of aerial lifts or other appropriate means when heavy or bulky equipment or materials must be moved. 3. Train employees, including periodic refresher training, to be aware of and understand the hazards of the job. 4. Perform an initial hazard assessment of the job prior to beginning work. 5. Thoroughly review and approve all sub-contractor's safety plans and procedures to assure they meet the requirements of the specific tasks to performed.